- Date
- January 10, 2024, 10:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 185 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N62883Boeing 737
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Tailstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines
- Case key
- 193637
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The airplane’s aft fuselage impacted the runway as a result of a delayed flare and subsequent nose-high pitch inputs during the aircraft’s multiple touchdowns.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
United Airlines flight 2498 experienced a tail strike while landing at George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas. The flight was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona to IAH. The flight crew statements and flight data showed a stable approach to the landing flare. The first officer was pilot flying and stated he began the flare slightly late. Both crewmembers stated the touchdown was firm with a slight “nose-high” bounce. The flight crew was not aware the airplane’s tail had impacted the runway until the ground crew at the gate notified them. Flight data showed that the airplane touched down on the runway with a 6.5-degree nose-up attitude and vertical acceleration of 1.87g. The speed brakes deployed two seconds after the initial touchdown. At the same time, the aircraft became airborne again and the nose began to lower. Two seconds later, as the speed brakes retracted, the airplane’s pitch began to increase, and the airplane touched down a second time with pitch of 7.2 degrees and a vertical acceleration of about 2.87g. The airplane became airborne for a 3rd time for about a second before it touched down for the final time. The nose was lowered to the ground, and speed brakes were extended again. Post-accident assessment of the aircraft revealed substantial damage to the auxiliary power unit (APU) firewall bulkhead that occurred as a result of the aircraft’s aft fuselage’s contact with the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62883
- Reported as
- Boeing 737 (9)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 883
- Built
- 2015
- Airframe hours
- 25,323
- Engines
- CFM CFM56-7B27E/F, 27,300 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM CFM56-7B27E/F, 27,300 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- United Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Commuter; Standard, Transport; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 18, 2023
- Departed
- PHX · Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KIAH · Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, runway 27, 10,000 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 9, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 31,700 total · 21,200 in this make and model · 18,540 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 28, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 5,187 total · 896 in this make and model · 962 as pilot in command · 155 in the last 90 days · 106 in the last 30 days · 51 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 17, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB in all.